Improvements in EKG Stress Tests

06-22-2014 / By: Absolute Medical Equipment

EKG stress tests
are important diagnostic tests for identifying coronary heart disease. The
stress tests have not changed that much but what has changed are a number of key
elements to improve the machinery’s ability to record and generate valuable insight
into the patients health.

Flexibility

With
technological developments comes flexibility for the technology and
particularly helpful to the EKG stress test system. Medical practitioners have a lot
more freedom to use the machinery that suits them and the patients rather
operations being dictated by the constraints of the machines. The large heavy
machines have now become smaller and far more portable either available as wall
mounted solution or an easy to maneuver wheeled arrangement. The flexibility
has brought new found options in optimizing the space to achieve improved
results in the stress test.

Where computers being used were
once large room consuming machines they are now laptop sized machines with
swiveling monitors for easy inspection of the real time data. The smaller
computers aid in making these tests far more available. Computer now will not
be limited to just an exercise ECG but also will
include and manage multiple cardiopulmonary modalities such as resting ECG and
Holter.

Improvements in Software

Software has also improved with
doctors being able to easily manage and track data in a system, saving time and
improving analysis of data. Improvements in software flexability and hardware
have meant that settings and options have increased and while the data is similar
to what has been collected the ability to manipulate preferences has given valuable
insight into the data. Other improvements enable doctors and medical practitioners
to identify other related diseases and issues related to the hearts performance
during the test. The live update on the hearts performance and other data can prove
to be extremely valuable to then identify the risk of suffering from a sudden cardiac arrest. The software also can
detect every-other-beat patterns which is a unique pattern found in each patient’s
heart beat. Other issues that the software can now identify are arrhythmias, thrombolysis, heart rate variability and
signal-averaged ECG.

Wireless connectivity

The technical standards have improved
from simple cords and wires being attached to the Patient. This arrangement does
not simply bother patients but effects the records being collected. With the
advent of wireless technology there is no need to worry about the wires. The patients with the technology can now exercise
free of wires in the way and the pull from the connection of a computer. Wireless
connections have changed the location of the tests. A small room can house the
computer and the patient can exercise in comfort in an adjoining room.

Cables have
improved and have become far more lightweight and wireless technologies
can improve motion artifacts and background noise which leads to better testing
environments and recording accuracy. One method of improving results with these
developments is form-fitting wires that while part of the process are very
light minimizing the discomfort and issues with having wires near a patient
during the stress tests. The lightweight natures of these wires are a great
improvement from the heavy wires before these developments. Patients would be
tired from carrying the wires and the test were shorter minimizing the amount
of data and the overall effectiveness of the test. Small wireless transmitters are
trapped to the patient giving complete freedom of movement alleviating the
strain of the wires and improving results.

The
future will bring a greater amount of digitization of medical data and while
the running test on the treadmill will remain the same, software will allow
further collaboration between results and other records to improve analysis,
results and prognosis.

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